Posts Tagged ‘eye creams’

Since the post “Organic Eye Cream : When should you start using an eye cream?” went out yesterday, we have had a flurry of emails with questions and many of these came from men.

In response:

While men do tend to have thicker facial skin with a higher density of sebaceous glands, the skin around their eyes is thin. Therefore men do need to use an eye cream twice daily, morning and evening from as early as possible. If you start in your teenage years its best, but its never too late to prevent further damage.

Because men have thicker skin on their face, they tend not to develop the fine lines that women do. This makes it all the more important to use a good organic eye cream as the area around the eyes is generally the first area where lines and wrinkles develop.

Guys, this can give your age away.

When choosing a good organic eye cream, the same rules apply for both men and women. Choose an eye cream with a nourishing gel like consistency. Heavy and thick creams can make the eyes appear puffy. Ensure the eye cream is alcohol free, even organic alcohol should be avoided. For added benefits use an eye cream that contain ingredients like bilberry and eyebright.

One question I get asked very often by younger customers is “when should they start using an eye cream?”. There seems to be a misconception that you only need to use and eye cream in your thirties or when the first fine lines begin to appear. The answer is, at that stage its already a bit late. The skin around the eyes is extremely thin and it also does not have the benefit of underlying muscle to hold it taught. Hence it needs all the help it can get. You need to use an eye cream from as early as possible. Choose a good organic eye cream that is nourishing but light in consistency. Thick and heavy eye creams can do more damage than good in this delicate area.

Like all parts of the body, the eyes need to be nourished properly. In addition to making sure the eyes are not strained by too much intense work or inadequate light or irritated by exposure to harsh cosmetic products and environmental toxins, proper eye care includes a healthy diet containing sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals.

Here are some tips to maintain healthy functional eyes:

Take a multivitamin and mineral complex with selenium of 200mcg daily as these destroy radicals that can damage the eye.

Vitamin A complex : 15000IU daily no t more than 10000IU if you are pregnant. Because the light absorbing retinal pigment is composed of vitamin A and protein, which are constantly being used up as images are formed, adequate supplies of these nutrients are vital for healty eye function.

Vitamin B complex containing 100mg of each B vitamin daily

Vitamin C with bioflavonoids 2000mg 3 times daily.

Vitamin E 200IU daily

Zinc 50mg daily. Do not exceed 100mg from all supplements daily.

Bilberry extract has been shown to improve both normal and night vision. Have it in tincture form or use and eye cream that contains bilberry.

Drink fresh carrot juice which is high in Vitamin A. This can help alleviate some eye problems.

Eliminate sugar and white flour from your diet.

If you wear glasses, wear clear spectacle that have been treated to keep out UV rays. This will help protect against damage from UV exposure. Avoid wearing tinted glasses for this purpose, especially on a regular basis as dark glasses prevent the needed light from entering the eyes. The functioning of the pineal gland which plays an important role in the regulation of metabolism, behaviour and physiological functions, is largely governed by sunlight.

Never use hair dyes containing coal tar on the eyelashes or eyebrows. Doing so can cause injury or blindness. Although coal tar dyes are legal, marketing them for eyebrow or eyelash treatment is not.
Use only natural cosmetic products around your eyes. Products with harsh chemical ingredients can irritate and injure the eyes.

Mascaras, eyeliners and other eye makeup must be kept clean and changed regularly. Never use a mascara that is opened for more than 3 months. If these were at all contaminated with bacteria or other pathogens, you could infect your eye. Regularly wash make-up brushes that you use around your eyes.

The combination of nicotine, caffeine and sugar can cause visual disturbances. Reduce your intake of all 3.

Skin loses some of its elasticity with age, and muscles within the eyelids lose tone causing what is known as bags under the eyes or puffiness. In addition fat can build up in the eyelid and fluids can accumulate and cause swelling. Puffiness around the eyes can also be caused by allergies or excessive salt consumption. Smoking as well can aggravate this problem.

Here are a few quick tips to help reduce under eye bags or puffiness.

Avoid drinking fluids before bed.

Avoid monosodium glutamate and reduce your salt intake.

Do not smoke and reduce second hand smoke.

Get plenty of sleep

Apply a chilled gel compress or a washcloth soaked in iced water over the eyes. Cold cucumber slices also work. The cold shrinks the swollen blood vessels.

For long term prevention, use eye creams that strengthen the skin and help build the collagen and elastin around the eye area. Eye creams containing bilberry help strengthen the blood vessels and tone veins which prevent puffiness.